Teleostei (teleosts) >
Clupeiformes (Herrings) >
Clupeidae (Herrings, shads, sardines, menhadens)
Etymology: Sprattus: Old German, sprotte (1611) = a small fish, Clupea sp. (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Klunzinger.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; pelagic-neritic; depth range 28 - 110 m (Ref. 58489). Subtropical; 33°S - 51°S, 165°E - 180°E (Ref. 188)
Southwest Pacific: New Zealand.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 13.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 188); common length : 10.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 188)
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13 - 21; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 12 - 23; Vertebrae: 43 - 47. Gill cover without bony radiating striae; tooth plate on tongue narrow, pointed at each end, its width about 4 or 5 times in length, lateral teeth moderate; scales without fine striae on exposed posterior part; back green-gray when fresh. Pterotic bulla absent. Last two anal rays normal.
A schooling species found in coastal waters, from beaches down to 110 m or more. Has an apparently long spawning season (July to January) around the South Island, but not a fractional spawner. Eggs are present in mid-summer near Clutha River mouth (but samples may have included S. antipodum). More data needed.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae
Eggs present in mid-summer near Clutha River mouth (but samples may also have included S. antipodum).
Whitehead, P.J.P., 1985. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 7. Clupeoid fishes of the world (suborder Clupeoidei). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of the herrings, sardines, pilchards, sprats, shads, anchovies and wolf-herrings. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(7/1):1-303. Rome: FAO. (Ref. 188)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: subsistence fisheries
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Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 10 - 16.6, mean 14.3 °C (based on 29 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5312 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00708 (0.00349 - 0.01438), b=3.11 (2.93 - 3.29), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 2.8 ±0.2 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).